PALERMO (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The President of the Sicilian Region Renato Schifani and the CEO and General Director of Terna Giuseppina Di Foggia signed a memorandum of understanding today at Palazzo d’Orlèans in Palermo for the implementation of the construction activities of Elmed, the electrical interconnection between Italy and Tunisia authorized last May by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.
According to the official statement, the agreement aims to strengthen the synergy between the Region and Terna in the preparatory phases for the start of the works and to facilitate all interventions connected to the construction and the operational work process.
The regional Administration, within its competence, will guarantee the National Electricity Network Manager all the support for the finalization of the necessary procedures for the executive planning of the interventions and the construction of all the infrastructural works. In turn, Terna has committed to ensuring continuous alignment on the planned activities, to minimize the impacts that the construction sites will have on local communities.
Furthermore, the Sicilian Region and Terna have shared an agreement on another initiative for the implementation of territorial and environmental redevelopment works of common interest. In detail, Terna will provide a contribution of one million euros for environmental compensation works which the Region will integrate with another 4 million from the Development and Cohesion Fund (FSC): in total 5 million euros which will be used for partial recomposition, with the original pieces (so-called “anastylosis”) of the southern columns of the temple “G” in the Archaeological Park of Selinunte, the largest in the Greek West after the Temple of Olympian Zeus of Akragas. Also impressive in height, the temple was about 30 meters high, with columns of over 16 metres; its construction began around 530 BC but still in 409 BC. the date of the destruction of the city of Selinunte by the Carthaginians, had not been completed. Further contributions will be paid by the Company to the two municipalities involved: 600 thousand euros in Castelvetrano and 2 million euros in Partanna.
“The electricity connection between Italy and Tunisia”, said President Schifani, “is a strategic work for Italy and is part of the ongoing energy transition process. The positive effects of its implementation will concern the entire “country system”. Elmed was in fact included by the national government in the Mattei Plan. In this context, Sicily plays a leading role both due to its geographical position in the centre of the Mediterranean and because it presents itself as an energy hub, thus aiming for one of the most strategic sectors in the creation of economic development. Terna, whom I thank, also accepted my request to contribute financially to compensate for the work in the area. With the additional resources that the Region has allocated with the cohesion agreement, a concrete intervention will be carried out in the territory, that is, the reconstruction of the columns of the “G” temple of Selinunte”.
Giuseppina Di Foggia underlined: “Sicily with over three billion euros of investments in the next five years for the development of technologically advanced and sustainable electricity networks, is interested in interventions that will make a fundamental contribution to the country’s energy transition and decarbonisation path, among these, the interconnection between Italy and Tunisia which will allow us to increase the level of adequacy of our country’s electricity system and diversify supply sources by connecting Europe to North Africa. Today’s agreement, in addition to being an important step in the work progress, confirms Ternàs commitment to creating strategic infrastructures through close collaboration with local institutions and the territories involved”.
– Photo Terna press office –
(ITALPRESS).
